This is the first time ever that NBC has carried both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics during the same broadcast season. And, with a boost from the Super Bowl and the first few days of Olympics coverage (through Feb. 11), NBC has overtaken long-time broadcast leader in total viewers, CBS, with an average of 9.569 million vs. 9.385 million. NBC also is currently No.1 in adults 18-49 for the 2017-18 broadcast season.

This marks the first time NBC has ranked #1 in total viewers at any point during the season since it won the 2001-02 season — the first time that the network carried Winter Olympics with the highly-rated Salt Lake City games, held on American soil.

Excluding all sports, CBS remains the total viewership leader though NBC has logged its closest No. 2 position (1.9 million viewers behind CBS) at this point in the season in 15 years, since 2002-03.

In addition to the Super Bowl and the Olympics, which gave NBC the boost it needed to take over the top spot in viewers, the network was helped by drama This Is Us, which is running up +23% versus last season in total viewers (16.9 million viewers vs. 13.8 million, “most current”) and is on track to rank as the #1 drama in total viewers when additional time-shifting is tallied; the #1 alternative series, The Voice, Ellen’s Game of Games, the biggest new reality in-season launch since “Little Big Shots; as well as The Golden Globe Awards.